Animal Behaviour
by AntisocialArdan
Summary: The world had changed and suddenly animals and humans weren't so different. Due to a change in the atmosphere, human biology took a few step backs in the evolutionary chain and exposed that not everyone was made and designed the same way and they're divided up into lineage produced from animals. With that, individuals had begun exhibiting traits from said lineages. Tsukki/Yamaguchi
1. 00: Prologue

It felt like everything up to that point in time was some kind joke of normality being played, it was almost cruel. One moment everyone was made and designed the same way and the next, the world is told they're divided up into lineage produced from animals, better yet individuals had begun exhibiting traits from said lineages.

The government said something in the atmosphere had changed which triggered the change in biology, no mention of specifics just instructions to head to the nearest government assignment center to receive a lineage identification card. It was thought that if people knew what animal descendant they came from and how to address the change in their biology, it would better help to "normalize" the matter and get people back to their daily lives.

Yamaguchi had long zoned out of the conversation ahead of him, his family had waited in line for hours after taking several physicals and blood tests. He was standing slightly behind his mother as an assigned official talked as if he was reading a script.

"With the sudden change in atmosphere, we've discovered our idea of evolution took a different path than we realized. With this discovery came the knowledge that our lineages are more vast than we could have realized and the effects the atmosphere is having is making it more obvious that our evolution has taken a few steps back and we're showing signs of our animalistic lineage." the official spoke as he organized some paperwork into a rather large packet for the family.

As he finished putting the packet together, Yamaguchi's mother set her child's lineage card down and pushed it forward.

The televised reports explained of a number of rare lineages, four of them to be exact. Each vastly different from the other and all defied logic. The technical term had long been lost among civilians and they were quickly addressed by mythological names.

 _Phoenix, Pegasi, Dragon, and Merfolk._

It would have been no surprise for celebrities or special people to fall within the rare lineages, but Yamaguchi Tadashi? There was no way the lineage card his mother presented to the official could be true, he was supposed to be plain and common but the card clearly stated Aquatic Lineage.

"How did this happen, neither I nor his father have the merfolk lineage?" a motherly voice questioned, she was just as confused as Yamaguchi.

"The four rares come up as a recessive lineage, so unlike the more common ones, those lineages don't need to come directly from the parents. It can carry on from the genes of your parents or even further back." the exhausted official responded as if he was reading from a script.

"You'll receive more information on proper aquatic lineage care from Tadashi's primary doctor. Please go home and wait for the mail forms before taking him for his first check up. Thank you." he rushed them away from his desk, a rather extreme line behind the Yamaguchi family waited for their results.

Yamaguchi's mother had nothing left to say as they were rushed away from the desk, even if they had more questions and concerns, there were so many other families that were just as confused waiting in line.

The card was handed back to Yamaguchi as he followed, he glanced back at the official before leaving the large, crowded room and into the waiting room of the building. His hand grips the laminated card, condensation from the sweat on his palms streaked over the surface of it.

 **The world had changed and no one was prepared for what was to come.**

 **\- A/N -**  
So, this AU is very loosely based on the Sex Pistols, really the only thing similar is the base animal lineage idea. I thought the idea of the Haikyuu characters with animal lineages was too good to pass up and wanted to give this fic idea a go.

This prologue is short, because I didn't want to draw out the simplistic explanation of the world too much because more will be uncovered as the story goes on. I'll be trying to post a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thank you so much for reading!


	2. 01: Ain't it fun?

Yamaguchi's jacket was stuffy while inside his house, but the weather report said it was overcast and chilly, there might even be some rain. He was quick to gather his wallet and head towards the front door, it's not like he was avoiding his parents but he didn't think he could handle any more concerned questions about how he's feeling or their lectures on internet articles they've read about the Aquatic lineage. He can't keep watching their somber silence as they wonder what could have gone wrong when Yamaguchi was born, not today.

He'd been to school a few days in the several weeks after the lineage cards were assigned. His absences were less to do with his health and more to do with avoiding questions on his animal lineage. On the days he'd gone, Yamaguchi skillfully avoided most conversation and questions about it.

Despite his fear of the other's reaction, Yamaguchi worried about his grades and what the school administration would say. Luckily his mother had answered all the calls from the school and gave his health as an excuse.

The thought hit him that the school probably already knew it was required to send a photocopy of every student's card after they received them. He felt his heart drop and his anxiety spike higher than it already was.

He quietly closed his front door and headed away from his house as quickly as he could. He had no destination in mind, just somewhere no one knew about him and his lineage.

Nothing seemed real after the change, he was waiting for everything to be revealed as some sort of sick joke. If anything, he believed that the lineage officials had to be joking when they assigned him as an Aquatic. His hand gripping the pastel orange wallet in his pocket, just knowing the lineage card was with him made him feel uneasy.

He'd been walking for 20 minutes or so before he noticed that he'd made his way to a small artificial riverbank. The water was calm, the only moment caused by the light breeze.

As Yamaguchi watched the water, his hands felt dry. His tongue moves across his chapped lips as he moved closer to the water. He wants to enter, he wants to feel himself get consumed by the body of water.

The aquatic knows he doesn't belong here, the way his parents and medical professionals look at him causes him to tremble. Everyone had been affected by the atmospheres change, so why did they look at him like he was some kind of freak of nature.

If his own mother could look at him like that, then what would his classmates say, what would Tsukki say?

"What are you doing?" a voice behind Yamaguchi calls out, causing him to jolt.  
Standing behind him by several feet was just the person he wanted to avoid most, Tsukki.

"I was taking a walk." he answers, dark eyes darted to the floor as if he's too ashamed to make eye contact with Tsukki.  
"W-what are you doing?" he stutters.

The blonde hesitates to answer, the other's obvious discomfort and shame too easy to see and too hard to ignore.  
"Your mother messaged me, she asked for me to find out where you went." he moves closer. "It's not a good idea to scare your mother right now." his voice low.

Yamaguchi chuckles and apologizes, his own voice weak and his eyes continue to avoid Tsukki. A tinge of irritation couldn't help but hit Tsukki as he watched his closest friend obviously put distance between them with his avoiding attitude.

"You should be glad that all school clubs have been canceled until this whole lineage thing becomes a bit more normal or you'd be off the team. You're lucky the couch is more understanding than he needs to be, because you haven't said a word about missing so much." the blondes voice and words were harsh, much harsher than Yamaguchi wanted to deal with at the moment but he couldn't speak up against his friend.

"I'm sorry, I haven't been feeling well. I read the letter the school sent out about the clubs or I would have called the coach. He has more important players to worry about, he doesn't need to deal with me at a time like this." the brunette mumbled, barely loud enough for the other to hear.  
"If that's how you really feel wouldn't it would make more sense to call the coach instead of just becoming M.I.A?" Tsukki retorted.

Yamaguchi felt his hand's grip into a tight fist, he didn't want to hear this right now. He didn't want anyone to ask questions or talk about the lineages. "I said I was sorry, okay!" he shouted, his head still directed towards the ground.  
"I'm sorry, I've missed so much. I'll call the coach tonight and make sure to clear everything up." his voice quickly lowered as he realized that he'd shouted.

Shouting like that wasn't like Yamaguchi, Tsukki was surprised at the power in his voice. Both knew that getting into a fight right that moment would only cause trouble and a scene. The blonde flipped his phone open to a group message sent to him from Kuroo and Bokuto.

"Seems most of the other schools here and in Tokyo have all stopped club programming until things get back to even a shred of what we think is normal." he held his phone out to let Yamaguchi see.

The Aquatic looked over the messages sent about the schools, he wasn't surprised. There had been nonstop reports and videos on how certain species were interacting and tensions between lineages.

It was honestly exhausting to both Yamaguchi and Tsukki, both thinking similar things on the reports.

"Instead of calling coach later, why not meet up with him right now?" Tsukki took a few steps back and stuck his hands in his pants pockets.

"Coach called a meeting for all the players to discuss what's going on with the clubs and when we can start practicing again, I was pretty lucky that your mother messaged me to come find you because I was about to head over to your house anyways." he shrugged.

Yamaguchi wanted to make up some excuse for not going, he was practically begging for any reason not to go but knew nothing good could come from denying Tsukki at that moment. He knew that his friend was already suspicious and didn't want to give him any reason to start digging.

"Sounds like fun…" his voice was obvious and weak, his smile fake.

Without a response, Tsukki began to walk towards the meeting place. He knew Yamaguchi will follow him, despite knowing how he really felt about meeting up with the coach.

The brunette moves fast to catch up with the other, is breathing horse from running uphill.

"I'm sure coach is going to take turns addressing each of our lineages and all that. Despite not being a part of the school's administration, he was likely informed and told to take precautions. It would be stupid of the school not to do that, especially with athletic programs." Tsukki broke the silence after a few minutes of walking.

"I'm sure he's not surprised with everyone's lineage, I mean, even I wasn't surprised. I almost burst into laughter when Hinata proudly announced his lineage was Spider Monkey and that Kageyama's was Crow." he mocked.

"I'm even less surprised that my lineage is snake, no wonder I've always been interested in them. Hope you're not a mouse lineage because that'd make this friendship pretty hard." he may have been joking, but his voice was serious.

Tsukki slowed to a stop and was left behind by Yamaguchi, who hadn't been paying much mind to their walking speeds.

The blonde was pretty smart compared to most of his other teammates and even they knew that Yamaguchi was avoiding exposure on his lineage. Brown eyes were practically staring holes in the back of Yamaguchi's head and he'd noticed.

Both had come to a stop and could practically hear the aquatic's heartbeat. He knew what was going to be asked, sweat forming on his brow and hands clenched tightly.

"Why haven't you told me your lineage, Yamaguchi?" the question was dry and straight to the point.

There was nothing Yamaguchi could do to avoid this, he knew it'd come sooner or later. His body begging to lie or make something up, but he was frozen in place. If he told them, there would be no going back to normal.

He couldn't muster the strength to respond, his body shaking and his eyes welling with tears. He'd spent weeks avoiding the rest of the world in fear of how they'd react, so how could he face Tsukki with an answer now?

"I'm sorry…" his voice broke as his head hung down.

 _How could he possibly say it to the person he feared to lose most?_


	3. 02: Medicine

"Why are you apologizing?" Tsukki asked in a small voice, he could see the obvious discomfort just by looking at Yamaguchi's back.

The trembling boy shook his head, not a sound coming from his throat.

The blonde wants to pressure him to talk but knows nothing good will come of it, so, instead he starts walking again. It was only moments before he passed his friend and didn't show signs of waiting.

Yamaguchi opens his mouth looking for anything to say to Tsukki, his hand extended ever so slightly as if reaching out to the other as he walked away. He couldn't keep his lineage a secret from Tsukki forever, but was scared to see his reaction.

In that moment, Yamaguchi knew there was only one thing he could do to stop Tsukki from leaving him behind.  
"I'm an Aquatic lineage…" his voice was low but clear enough for Tsukki to hear.

What he just heard caused him to stop mid-step, he turned his head back just enough to see his friend. His eyes wide with curiosity, but Yamaguchi didn't see it that way.

The brunette set his hands against his chest and pressed his lips tightly together, so tightly they were nothing but thin white lines.

After several minutes of silence, Yamaguchi starts digging through his pocket to retrieve his wallet. "If you don't believe me, I have my lineage ID with me." he finally manages to pull out his wallet.

Before he can open it, Tsukki shakes his head and begins to laugh. His laugh was a hardy and honest one. "Honestly, I don't need to see it. I think it fits you perfectly."

Yamaguchi could barely believe what he'd just heard, from the look on Tsukki's face and the way he sounded, Yamaguchi was speechless for several moments. He was confused at how the blonde could say that about him.  
"W-what...do you mean?" Yamaguchi responds, breathlessly.

Before Tsukki could respond, there was a loud thundering call for both of them coming behind Yamaguchi. Hinata had called out for the pair as he and Kageyama approached them, the shorter looked extremely happy with his huge grin on his face.

Yamaguchi looked back, he could only get a partial glimpse at Hinata's face before he was pulled into a huge hug.

"Feels like I haven't seen you in a long time! I missed you!" Hinata's voice was loud and boisterous.  
Looking around, it was as if Yamaguchi was the only one in such a dark place about his lineage.

"If we don't get moving, Coach is going to be pissed." Tsukki calls out, he'd started walking moments after Hinata had hugged Yamaguchi.

The brunette is quick to pull away from the hug, giving Hinata a small smile as he chased after Tsukki.

It was only minutes before they arrived at a local family restaurant, the owner's being long time friends of the previous coach Ukai. Once inside, the entire team was together, with no one saying a word. There was a thick air around the table, each person wanting to get back to practice as much as possible.

As the first years made it to the table, they were each greeted by different team members. A light chatter erupted as everyone got comfortable, mostly about practice and their lineages.

"Okay, it looks like everyone is here. Let's gets started." Coach Ukai called out, getting the attention of the whole table.

"First, thank you for showing up. Second, you all know the reason we're here is to talk about practice and when we'll be allowed to start again." In his hand were a few documents from the school about after school clubs.

"The school hasn't decided on a date to start clubs up yet, but from what they've told the staff and club administrators, it looks to be months." as he finished, the members erupted into disgruntled murmurs.

"Listen, I understand everyone just wants to get back to practice, but the school is still waiting to receive more information from the Lineage administration and how to assess the continuation of the clubs, especially the athletic clubs." He shuffles through the papers in his hands.

Ukai can see no one is happy about the information, he sets the paperwork down and lets out an exaggerated sigh. On one hand, he can see why the school is holding off the clubs but on the other hand, he can understand the team's feelings about not being able to continue practice.

"Before you all decide to get lazy, we're holding a training camp. It's not an official training camp but we'll be practicing just as hard as if it was. We're not the only school interested in doing one, Nekoma and Fukurodani being the most vocal about it." His words sparked an interest in the entire team.

"We'll be gathering the forms for your parents to look over and sign but until then, hold tight and don't do anything that could get in the way of each of you showing up to the camp. We'll keep you updated with the information." Ukai crossed his arms. "I know you're all expecting us to bring up the lineages, but we discussed it and think it's better to wait until the training camp. More important than discussing them, would be to see how each of you react together during a game." Ukai glanced down at Take-chan before looking back at the faces of his curious volleyball players.

The team members stayed quiet for what seemed like more than 10 minutes, no one knowing how to break the silence. Everyone with several things on their mind, but no one wanting to bring them up.  
Yamaguchi kept his gaze on his empty plate, usually he wouldn't think twice about eating his fill of the restaurant's food but didn't have the appetite tonight.

"Yamaguchi, if you have a moment we'd like to speak to you." A hand was set on the boy's shoulder as Take-chan whispered the brunette's ear.

Yama simply nodded and stood up from his chair, most the team noticed but didn't want to speak up, thinking it had to do with his absences.

They moved into the hallway nearest to the restrooms, Take-chan and Ukai taking a moment to gather their thoughts as they looked Yamaguchi up and down.  
"The school notified me about your lineage, I assume that explains your absences." Take-chan started. "I understand the information can be startling, especially when being given the information about the aquatic lineage. The school received the same information that you and your parent's received."

Yamaguchi listened carefully, he knew that Take-chan and Ukai would know. They reacted so adult like, unlike himself. He ran his hands along his upper arms, it was obvious he was uncomfortable.

"We understand if you need to take some time, especially with the extreme changes your body must be going through. There won't be any repercussions if you decide not to take part in the training camp." The teacher sounded sympathetic, which Yamaguchi appreciated but didn't want to be excluded from the training camp.

The Aquatic looked down, he knew his body had changed but so did everyone's. He knew the coach and sensei were coming from a good place and didn't want to feel bad about it.

"Thank you, sensei." Was all Yamaguchi could respond with, his lips curled into a small smile.

Ukai and Take-chan couldn't find anything else to say to their student, Take-chan simply set his hand on the boy's shoulder.  
"It'll be okay, Yamaguchi." The simple phrase caused Yamaguchi to look up, he was almost shocked to see Take-chan's simple expression.

The brunette couldn't help but smile, "Will you say goodbye to the rest of the team for me, I think I'll head home early."

"Of course, hopefully we'll see you tomorrow at school." Take-chan was the one to respond, he quickly removed his hand from the other's shoulder.

Yamaguchi didn't stand there much longer before taking his leave, most of the team was too busy to notice him sneak through the front door and start heading home.  
His house was only about 15 minutes from the restaurant but the walk would feel much longer than that. He'd spent so long after being assigned Aquatic letting his dark attitude control his thinking but after talking to the people around him, he'd felt like a fool. No one treated him like a freak or ostracized him.

It was only minutes into his walk home when he felt all his pent up emotions release in the form of tears. His pace slowed as the tears rushed out of him harder than he'd ever cried before. Everything he'd thought and the way he acted before seemed so stupid compared to his teammates and coach.

"Yama-chan?" He'd only made it about a block away before someone had called out to him, a voice he knew well.

Tsukki's brother, Tsukishima Akiteru had called out from in front of him.

His expression looked worried as he moved closer, they hadn't seen each other in years. Yamaguchi lets his lips fall open, he couldn't find the right words to say. He quickly used his jacket sleeve to wipe his face, hoping that would take some of the embarrassment away.

Yamaguchi didn't know how to react, so instead he just gawked at Akiteru with wide eyes of wonder.


	4. 03: Clear

Once Aki finally noticed Yamaguchi was crying, he quickly moved up to him to get a clearer look.  
"Why are you crying?" His voice was full of concern, matched with his expression.

Yama wanted to look away but there was nowhere to hide, he was forced to face Aki with his face covered in tears and embarrassment. His lips stuttered, but no sound escaped his throat. There wasn't anything he could say that would make sense, his thoughts were too jumbled and his voice lost.

Instead, Yama just looked down and shook his head.

Aki realizes they were standing in the middle of the street and set his hand on the back of his neck. He'd only come out to get some things from the convenience store, but couldn't leave his brother's best friend in that state alone.  
"My parent's place is right down the street," he started, "but you knew that already. So, why don't we talk there and I won't take no for an answer."

Yamaguchi looked up at him bewildered, he wasn't expecting to be invited to the Tsukishima household. He bit his lip as he thought over the answer, he needed to refuse.  
"C'mon, let's get going before someone sees us and thinks I'm the reason you're crying." Aki's smile was so kind and open.

Before he knew it, he let himself get dragged down the street by the older man and all the way to Tsukki's house. Yamaguchi was very familiar with the home, he'd been there many times over the years he'd been friends with Tsukki.

Once Aki opened the front door, he called out his usual greeting but no one responded. It was pretty late in the evening and the brunette wondered where their parents were but wouldn't ask.

"Make yourself at home, I'll brew some tea and get us something to eat with it. No ones here, so we can talk in the living room." The blonde directed, pointing in the direction of the living room.  
Without saying anything, the aquatic did as told and headed into the living room. He was familiar with everything, considering he'd just been there a few weeks ago.

He sat on the couch and made himself comfortable. He'd been wearing shorts and tank top, with only a light cardigan to protect him from the evening cold. He'd hardly noticed the weather because of all the activity and realized he left the house without properly changing.  
Before he could adjust anything, Aki burst through the door leading into the kitchen with tea and a huge smile.

"I'm not the best tea maker in the house, sorry." He set the cups down and sat next to Yamaguchi.  
"What's been going on Yamaguchi? it's not like you to breakdown in the middle of the street." the blonde said, his voice lowering.

Yamaguchi looked down at his hands, his fingers fiddling between each other. He didn't want to bother the other, his eyes filling with tears again. He wasn't quite sad but overwhelmed with all the information and how everyone had reacted like everything was normal.  
"I just want to be normal again…" The brunette finally choked out.

Aki tilted his head trying to get a better look at the younger's face, he could hardly believe what he heard. It almost angered him that something had made Yamaguchi feel abnormal but knew it was connected to the lineages.  
"Everyone's changed so, you ARE normal. Why would you say something like that?" His voice was stern.

Yamaguchi shook his head, his sobbing increased. "How come I don't feel like it, then!?" He almost yelled. "How come I'm the only one who has to visit the doctor so much? How come only my family is the one whispering about what went wrong? Why did I turn out to be Aquatic!?" His voice broke.

Aki hadn't heard any of this from Tsukki, in fact, Tsukki hadn't talked about Yamaguchi since the lineages were assigned. It was no secret the Aquatic lineage was rare, but no one had said anything was wrong with them and in fact, media gushed about the rares.

Aki felt his heart sink, had Yamaguchi been suffering with these feelings all on his own? There was no way Yamaguchi's mother would say anything about regretting or being disappointed, so there was no doubt his feelings had been kept a secret.

Without saying a word, Aki wrapped his arms around Yamaguchi and pulled him into a tight hug. Whispering "it's okay" over and over again.  
Before he knew it, the brunette had stopped sobbing and let himself fall into the hug comfortably.

Their hug lasted several minutes, neither saying a word due to the comforting silence around them.  
The silence was broken when someone entered the home. No greeting but the footsteps got louder as the person entered the living room. The pair embracing separated to see Tsukki standing in the doorway of the living room. His face holding no expression.

"What's going on, why is Yamaguchi crying?" His voice was its usual tone, but slightly dryer.

His eyes focused on his embarrassed best friend as he looked down. Yamaguchi brushed some hair behind his ear as he looks for something to say, the silence quickly turned agonizing.

Aki can tell that the other sitting on the couch is having trouble finding something to say, so he quickly speaks up. "Yama-chan just needed to talk a little, no big deal!" He attempts to lighten the mood with a chuckle.

"I see…" Tsukki responds, his eyes never breaking from Yamaguchi. "Did you leave the team's meeting early just to meet up with my brother?"  
His question caused both Aki and Yamaguchi to look at him shocked, neither expected that question and it took them a second to react.

"N-No! I left because I wasn't feeling well an-" Yamaguchi attempted to justify the scene Tsukki had walked in on but was stopped by the standing blonde putting his hand up.

"Y'know what, I don't need an explanation. Sorry I interrupted your moment here." His voice mocked and his expression became darkly smug. "Feel free to continue whatever was happening a few moments ago, I don't want to get in the way." Behind his glasses, his eyes were a striking yellow and his pupils slit.

Despite both Yamaguchi and Aki's pleas, Tsukki turned away and headed to his room.  
The entire interaction, Tsukki had kept his eyes focused on Yamaguchi, until the very last sentence.

Yamaguchi felt his heart ache, he'd made Tsukki mad again. He wanted to make it up, but could he?


	5. 04: Tiring

It took several minutes for Yamaguchi to fully calm down, Aki watching him as he slowed his breathing and looked up. The brunette mustered the best smile he could and thanked Aki, his voice low.

He stood up from the couch and looked towards the doorway that lead into the front hallway. "I think I should go talk to him. Our timing has been off all day and I don't want it to continue like this." His eyes focused on the doorway as he talked.

Aki didn't want to say anything and just smiled at the younger. He wished that he could make all his younger brother's relationship go smoother but knew that wouldn't help either of them.  
Once Yamaguchi was finished, he moved out of the living room and into the front hallway. He knew exactly where Tsukki's room was. His footsteps felt heavy the closer he got up the stairs, nervousness building in the pit of his stomach.

Standing outside his classmate's room, Yamaguchi tapped his knuckle against the wooden door. The sound was surprisingly quiet compared to how he felt it would sound in his head.

"Come in," a voice from the other side of the door called out, dry and straight to the point.

Yamaguchi opened the door and peaked his head in.

"It's me, Tsukki," was all the boy could say as a greeting. He gave the other a moment to speak up against him being there before entering the room and closing the door behind him.  
"W-would it be okay if we talked?" He asked.

The blonde was sitting at his desk with his back facing the door, he didn't look up when asked a question.  
"Do as you please," was his simple reaction.

The brunette let out a relieved sigh despite getting such a flat response. He was just happy he wasn't asked to leave or anything like that.  
Yamaguchi sat on his Tsukki's bed, his gaze directed to his own lap as his hands fiddled together.

It took Yamaguchi several minutes so speak up again, the only noise being Tsukki flipping the pages of his book.  
"Are you angry?" His question forward, but needed.

The blonde didn't skip a beat before answering.  
"Honestly, does it matter?" He continued to keep himself busy with his book.

Yamaguchi clenched his fist, Tsukki's opinion mattered a lot to him and he needed to tell him. He'd spent weeks avoiding everyone in fear of how they'd react, he needed his closest friend to know or he'd never move forward.  
"It matters a LOT! Your opinion matters so much to me that I avoided bringing up lineage in fear that you'd hate me because I was aquatic." Yamaguchi's voice rose, his tone desperate but full of passion.

Tsukki finally looked away from his desk, eyes wide as he watched Yamaguchi's face for a moment. He knew that his best friend cared about his opinion but not that much. His chest tightened as he saw how much Yamaguchi was struggling.  
"Do you honestly think I was someone who would hold that kind of prejudice, especially against you?" He questioned.

Yama thought about it and from the look on Tsukki's face, he began to feel stupid with his own reactions. Tsukki was his best friend and despite the joke, would he honestly hate him over something he couldn't control.  
"I don't know, I just didn't want you of all people to hate me." He mumbled.

Tsukki lowered his gaze, neither of them had been responding like they should have and there was too much going on for them to really talk things through.  
"I shouldn't have blown up like that, especially when I knew you were upset. I've done it twice today, I'm sorry." It was unusual for him to apologize.

He stood up and sat next to Yamaguchi on the bed, a few feet between them. It was silent for several minutes until Tsukki decided on what he wanted to say.  
"I just wish you would have messaged me while you were absent, you didn't even have to talk about your lineage. Just hearing from you would have been fine." He sighed.

Yamaguchi was honestly shocked to hear Tsukki say that, he looked up only to meet the other's gaze directly. The feeling of his eyes looking directly at him caused the brunette to get embarrassed. His face quickly heated up as he looked for something to say, unfortunately, nothing could escape his throat that was quickly getting dry.  
He looked down at his lap, his eyes darting over each of his fingers. He could feel the other staring holes right through him as he avoided eye contact.

"I should have called you. I'm sorry. Everything was just so complicated and I didn't know what to do." Yamaguchi sighed.  
He didn't want to make excuses but that was the only response he could offer at the moment.

"I understand." Tsukki was brief. "Does this mean you won't be going to the training camp?" He finished with a question.  
The blonde finally looked away. He almost hesitant to meet Yamaguchi's gaze.

Yamaguchi had to think about that for a moment. He'd just heard of it and hadn't thought about how he'd feel while at the training camp.  
The thought of neglecting his training bothered him but his doctor advised he keep it calm for the time being.

"I want to go but I'm scared of not being able to keep up with everyone else." The aquatic's voice broke.  
"I don't know what to do…" he mumbled.

Tsukki sighed, he wanted his friend at the training camp but didn't want it at the risk of his own health.  
He side eyed Yamaguchi, the boy's expression conflicted and bothered as he contemplated his choices.

"I want you there but not if you're worried you'll only struggle." The blonde finally spoke up after what seemed like a long silence.

Yamaguchi kept his gaze directed at his lap. He wanted to be there and he needed the practice. It wasn't a hard choice if he didn't need to take his lineage into consideration.  
"I'll go and if I can't keep up, I'll leave so I don't drag anyone else down. I just want things to be normal again." He clenched his hands into tight fists.

There was nothing Tsukki could offer to help him, the decision was made.

The rest of their conversation was small talk and various jokes about Hinata and Kageyama. No talk of lineage occurred and Yamaguchi only stayed another 30 minutes.  
Both needed to start prep for getting back into the groove of volleyball because of the training camp. Dates hadn't been released but knew it had to be near the summer vacation coming up, if not during the vacation.

Despite wanting things to be normal, there was no way the games would go back to the way they were before.


	6. 05: Kings of Summer

It'd been several weeks since Coach Ukai had the team's meeting and quickly after, the dates of the training camp were released. The camp was being held two weeks before summer break, during break, and two weeks after break. No one protested and were excited to get back to volleyball training.  
Due to the fact, the members would be staying at the training facility, they were required to get their parent's permission in the form of signing some heavy paperwork.

It took Yamaguchi about 5 days to convince his parent to let him go, the doctor agreed as long as there was an onsite nurse with proper information on the rares and verbal confirmation that Yamaguchi wouldn't strain himself too much.  
With his parent's and doctor's consent the only thing left was to wait until the date of the camp arrived.

The days seemed to drag on as he began attending school regularly and interacting with his teammates as usual. The idea of the lineages began to seep to the back of his mind.  
That was until the first day of the camp arrived, he'd woken up half past 5 am with cold sweats and a knot in his stomach.

His previous worrying had come back, but he felt better prepared with his coach and best friend there to support him.

They'd been asked to drop by the training facility before heading off to school for a meeting with the coaches. Which is how Yamaguchi found himself walking with Tsukki so early in the morning.  
Neither had said anything outside of their usual hellos and morning small talk. Their mind filled with volleyball and curiosity about what was to happen during the camp.

Despite interacting with his teammates every day, the topic of his lineage hadn't come up and he'd been able to avoid telling them. He knew it'd come up during camp at some point, so he'd been thinking of ways to tell them beforehand.

His chance had long past and he'd decided to let it come up naturally at camp. He'd have to deal with the question on why he kept it to himself when it came up.

His biggest concern would be if they started treating him differently, he just wanted things to remain the same as before.

Lost in thought, Yamaguchi failed to notice their orange haired companion had run up to the pair walking. His boisterous voice catching the brunette's attention.  
"Good morning!" Hinata sounded 20x as excited as usual, it had to be the idea of playing volleyball.

"Good morning." the pair who'd been walking responding in unison, both glancing to one another.

"You should sound more excited, I mean after school we get to start practicing again! I can't wait to step foot in the gym and get back to playing volleyball," he called out, his hands curled into tight fists. "I can already feel the sting of the ball on my palms." his gaze full of fire.

Tsukki felt exhausted just watching the small idiot, his attention quickly moving from Hinata to Yamaguchi as he assessed the brunette's expression. He could tell that he'd been feeling better since their talk at the Tsukishima household. He would even go as far as to say that his best friend looked rather excited.  
"You're too excited this early in the morning..." the blonde sighed, his comment directed at Hinata.

"How can you not be excited, we get to play volleyball and practice with other schools!" the shorter exclaimed loudly as if worried they wouldn't be able to hear him.

"Well, so far the only school joining us is Nekoma. That's not exactly much different than our regular practices." Tsukki rather enjoyed raining on Hinata's parade.  
"Personally, I think it's pretty dumb that a school from Tokyo is coming to a camp so far away when they have to attend classes most of the camp." he added

Both Hinata and Yamaguchi agreed by nodding their head, although if the member's of the Nekoma volleyball team where anywhere near as excited as they were, they doubted the team minded much.  
After Tsukki's comments, the group fell silent. Jitter's about getting to practice took over and their minds were full of volleyball.

It was only minutes before the trio was at the training facility, duffle bags of clothes and overnight personals over their shoulders. A paper sign on the gym doors, come in before boarding the bus. Team meeting.

With a glance at each other, they entered the gym to see both Karasuno's and Nekoma's teams sitting while facing a whiteboard.

Tsukki, Yamaguchi, and Hinata sat with their team, the coaches entering the gym only moments after them. The only noise in the eerily quiet gym was the sound of breathing, the coaches looked extremely serious

Ukai's booming voice called the attention of both teams. "Listen up, these next several weeks are going to be hard but worth it. You'll be working you asses off trying to get your team back to unity because of this whole lineage business." he started.  
"The lodging area has assigned rooms, your names will be taped to the door. It's a mix of both teams, so please get along." his arms were crossed and his legs spread firmly apart.

"The schedule for training, meals, and personal business will be posted in each room. So, please look them over when you return from school this evening." Ukai finishes.

"Leave your belongs here in the gym and you can retrieve them after school and head to the lodging to see room assignment. The buses to ride you to school are waiting outside, thank them properly!" Coach Nekomata announced.

It took the boys only minutes to set the bags aside and head to the buses, each boy trembling with excitement for the camp.  
They kept the camp to themselves at school, in fear of not being able to attend. The day dragged on and Yamaguchi could barely stand it.

By 2 o'clock, he was practically begging to get out of school, along with the rest of his team.  
The team of boys raced to the bus meeting spot to board up. Yamaguchi sat next to Tsukki, per usual, neither said a word the whole time. He wondered who he'd be rooming with and secretly hoped it was with Tsukki.

The bus ride was a solid 25 minutes to get back and every moment was filled with the idiotic arguments of Hinata and Kageyama.  
Yamaguchi and Tsukki were the last to get off the bus and the brunette was shocked to feel at his arm.

"If anything happens, don't keep it from me. I don't want to be kept in the dark about things happening," Tsukki mumbled as if worried someone else might hear him.  
"I'll be there for you…" his voice got even lower.

Yamaguchi tilted his head and smiled, "Thank you! I just hope we get to room with each other." he sounded cheerful.  
With that, the pair headed into the gym and retrieved their bags.

The lodging was directly next to the gym, the first floor being the baths and dining facilities, the top three floors were completely rooms.  
Both teams could fit on the first floor of rooms with a few to spare, managers and coaches were on the second floor.

Once Yamaguchi saw who he was rooming with, his heart sank. He'd been extremely worried about rooming with someone he didn't know. Room 207 was being shared by him and Kuroo Tetsuro and next to them in 206 was Tsukki and Sugawara.  
Both Tsukki and Yamaguchi glanced at each other with a sigh, their hope for rooming together had been smashed.

The rooming situation was going to make the camp rather interesting.


End file.
